Review: From the Outrageous to the Scandalous

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Cover image of "From the Outrageous to the Scandalous" edited by Robert H. Woods Jr. and Mark Allan Steiner

From the Outrageous to the Scandalous

From the Outrageous to the Scandalous, Robert H. Woods Jr. and Mark Allan Steiner, eds. Integratio Press (ISBN: 9781959685333) 2025.

Summary: A collection of essays reflecting on Christian scholarship 30 years after Marsden and Noll’s books.

The two books came out during the first years after I transitioned to campus ministry with graduate students and faculty members. The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind by Mark A. Noll and The Outrageous Idea of Christian Scholarship by George M. Marsden provided a kind of raison d’etre for my work. The earliest American universities had been established by Christians and many had capstone courses focused both on the relationship of Christian faith to every discipline and evidences for the Christian faith. However, in the 1990’s Christianity had been either marginalized to barely surviving religion departments or was viewed as an enemy of both intellectual life and human freedom. These two authors inspired many of us to devote our efforts to raising up a new generation of scholars who brought to bear the mind of Christ to their academic research and practice.

In 2024, a group of Christians in Communications Studies conceived of the idea of hosting an “unconference” ahead of their discipline’s annual academic conference. They wanted to explore together in conversation the questions and challenges they faced thirty years after these landmark books. They also wanted to share opportunities they experienced of doing Christian scholarly work. Each participant read the two works. In addition, there were eleven short “legacy scholar” presentations by senior scholars including Marsden and Noll. Their presentations comprise part one of this book.

The second part of the book reflects small group discussions of questions and responses to the presentations. These were subsequently written up in and grouped in the five sections comprising part two of the book. The essays are short and reflect an ongoing conversation rather than finished research presentations. Given that the book consists of 63 chapters, I will touch on the high points of these essays.

Part I: Legacy Scholar Presentations

Mark Noll’s presentation opens the collection. He observes progress in examples of Christian voices and scholarly societies across the disciplines. But he notes the economic and ideological challenges as well as the disconnect between academia and the church. Marsden’s essay is more of a reflection on Christian scholarship. He highlights the importance of humility, discusses the challenges of polarization and hiring but affirms the high calling of academic work.

Several other Legacy Scholars from communication then respond with their ideas about Christian scholarship. Quentin Schultze outlines five root assumptions for communications scholarship. Calvin Troup offers a framework for biblical integration in communication. And Clifford Christians addresses the idea of substantive truth in intellectually plural settings.

Fr. Paul A. Soukup, SJ’s presentation stood out in offering a Catholic approach to teaching and research, particularly from a Jesuit perspective. He emphasized its values-based character, its purpose-driven nature, and the use of Ratio Studiorum, a sixteenth-century document. This prioritizes engaged learning, educating the whole person, education rooted in community including service-based learning, and a commitment to justice. I was struck that a number of essays engaged Fr. Soukup’s presentation.

Part II: Responses to our Legacy Scholars

Section One: Foundations and Historical Roots

The responses here ranged from Alexandria to Athens to Jerusalem. Mark A.E. Williams explored the cultural redefinitions of intellect that had a shaping influence on the beginnings of evangelicalism. John R. Terrill offered a fascinating essay on the history of the Chataqua Institution and how it might offer models for recovering trust between academia and the church. Lance Croy concludes the section with a history of Tolstoy’s school for peasant children, observing the parallels with Jesuit education outlined by Fr. Soukup.

Section Two: Reimagining the University and Christian Higher Education

A. Chase Mitchell responds particularly to George Marsden, noting the very different landscape of an ideologically fractured and tribal university, and the need for Christians to demonstrate unity with honest disagreement. David Dockery warns of the twin dangers of being driven by technology in the sciences and enacting tyranny in the humanities. He calls Christians to a virtuous middle focused on knowledge for God’s glory. In concluding this section, Elaine Fung and Brandon Knight write of the importance of community in the scholarly journey. For example, they point to Kristos Logos Paideia, an undergraduate communication society.

Section Three: Communication, Pedagogy, and Intellectual Formation

One of the highlights in this section was Kim Okesson’s profile of Dorothy Sayers. Specifically she highlights Sayers’ use of communications skills in arenas as diverse as scholarship, fiction, drama and essays. Janie Marie Harden Fritz highlights the theme of excellence in praxis that runs through a number of the Legacy Scholar presentations. She also reflects on her own scholarly formation a a Christian. Several essays engage specific theories or approaches including standpoint theory, dialogue, and the use of metaphor and image in Nick Wolterdorff’s Art in Action.

Section Four: Personal and Vocational Reflections

Geraldine E. Forsberg opens this section with a deeply thoughtful reflection on “The Christian Professor in the Twenty-first Century.” She emphasizes a Christ-controlled mind steeped in the wisdom of scripture affirming truth with love. Not only that, she believes Christian can offer a compelling vision for students and the university more widely at a time where vision has perished. Douglas Kelley offers the image of the long walk to Emmaus as a model for the space of dialogue between students and teachers. Adam Sonstroem recounts his own experience in one of Mark Noll’s classes and how his emphasis on excellent, careful thought challenged him.

Section Five: The Church, Public Witness, and Evangelical Identity

R. Tyler Spradley summarizes his research on the “managerial turn” in evangelical churches and how this has contributed to the scandal of the evangelical mind. This essay ought to be required reading in pastoral education! Then Mark Allan Steiner explores how scholarship with epistemological humility might serve the church’s efforts to develop discerning disciples. Building on this, Brian D. Mattson explores how the habits of curiosity, collegiality, and concentration might serve the church. Other essays explore the role of magazines, technology, and media may serve the church. Then in one of the concluding essays, Stephen D. Perry explores what it might mean for scholars to be scandalous and outrageous.

In Conclusion

I’ve only offered a sampling of what one will find in this book. A few concluding thoughts. Firstly, models of such mutual engagement are rare and this one was delightful. I had the sense that these scholars had a lot of fun at this “unconference.” Secondly, what impressed me was listening to these scholars talk about their lives–what formed them, what energized them, and the research they are engaged in and its relevance to the theme. Thirdly, I thought this a model for other disciplinary groups. While the focus was on communications, reading the essays suggests parallels for many other disciplines. Finally, I appreciated the focus on scholarship in service of the church as well as the academy. The divide is often great, as Noll observes and both the academy and the church stand to gain from one another’s gifts.

_____________

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.

The Month in Reviews: May 2026

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Cover image of "Questioning Technology with Jacques Ellul" edited by David W. Gill and Lisa Richmond

The Month in Reviews: May 2026

Introduction

One of my challenges in picking a Best Book of the Month is the “also rans.” Here were a few of the “also rans” from this month. Serving God Under Siege is a moving account of the war in Ukraine and the efforts of a seminary to keep training people to serve the church. Another war-focused novel is The Prodigal of Leningrad. It is good historical fiction of the siege of Leningrad, with a powerful narrative connected to Rembrandt’s Prodigal. Esther Lightcap Meek’s Loving to Know, on epistemology was one of my “best books of 2025.” Her recent The Mother’s Smile discusses how our very first experience, that of our mother’s smile, may be the most philosophically significant of our lives. Then, In Guns We Trust explores the Religious Right’s support of gun rights. The author listens to gun owners, churches, and gun manufacturers as he explores this issue.

Paul Elie’s The Last Supper explores the religious element in some of the most controversial art and artists of the 1980’s. But can art inform our understanding? That’s the question the researchers in Art Seeking Understanding explore. I’ve loved all of Steve Garber’s books. His latest, Hints of Hope is no exception, using eloquent prose to explore what it means to live with the proximate. Another writer I’ve liked is Louis Markos. From Aristotle to Christ is a great introduction to Aristotle that led me to pick up a copy of Aristotle’s works. Finally, you all know my love of baseball books. The Cup of Coffee Club tells the stories of eleven players who played just one game in the major leagues.

Of course, I review a number of other books here as well, including my third Jane Austen read and Thomas Pynchon’s latest novel.

The Reviews

A City on Mars, Kelly Weinersmith and Zach Weinersmith. Penguin Books (ISBN: 9781984881748) 2023. A study of the complexities of human settlements in space, and whether this is as good an idea as some think. Review

Hints of Hope, Steven Garber, foreword by Makoto Fujimura. Paraclete Press (ISBN: 9798893480344) 2026. How we might live with hope in a beautiful but broken world where even our best efforts realize only proximately our ideals. Review

The Unwinding Path, Betany Coons, text and illustrations. IVP Kids (ISBN: 9781514013151) 2026. A bedtime book inviting children into quiet and rest as they follow the calming path of the labyrinth. Review

From Aristotle to Christ, Louis Markos. IVP Academic (ISBN: 9781514011324) 2025. Considers and appraises Aristotle’s influence on Christianity and how Christian thinkers appropriated his thought. Review

Emma, Jane Austen. Penguin Classics (ISBN: 9780141439587) 2003 (first published in 1815). A beautiful, rich young women with no interest in marriage makes a series of disastrous assumptions in matchmaking for her friend. Review

Silence and Speaking Freely, Sabino Chialà, Translated by John McAreavey. Liturgical Press (ISBN: 9798400803048) 2026. A translation of two talks by a monastic prior on what it means to live in an integrity of silence and speech. Review

The Prodigal of Leningrad, Daniel Taylor. Paraclete Press (ISBN: 9798893480221) 2026. During the siege of Leningrad, a docent who had betrayed his grandfather finds himself in Rembrandt’s Prodigal. Review

Between Interpretation and Imagination, Leslie Baynes. Wm B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. (ISBN: 9780802874009) 2025. C.S. Lewis as Bible interpreter, vis a vis biblical criticism, the trilemma argument, and Narnia. Review

The Cup of Coffee Club, Jacob Kornhauser. Rowman & Littlefield (ISBN: 9781538175453) 2023. The stories of eleven baseball players who played just one game in the Major Leagues. Review

Why I Am Protestant (Ecumenical Dialogue Series), Beth Felker Jones. IVP Academic (ISBN: 9781514003008) 2025. A Protestant theologian addresses the strengths, weaknesses, and contributions of Protestantism. Review

The Last Supper: Art, Faith, Sex, and Controversy in the 1980s, Paul Elie. Farrar, Straus and Giroux (ISBN: 9780374272920) 2025. On controversial artists of the 1980’s, discussing the intersection of sexuality and spirituality in crypto-religious works. Review

Art Seeking Understanding, Christopher R. Brewer, editor. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. (ISBN: 9780802885166) 2025. A compendium of 23 research project essays studying aesthetic cognitivism funded by the Templeton Religion Trust. Review

Shadow Ticket, Thomas Pynchon. Penguin Press (ISBN: 9781594206108) 2025. Private detective Hop McTaggart hunts down a missing cheese heiress, from Milwaukee to Europe, in a series of madcap capers. Review

Wyrd Sisters (Discworld, 6) Terry Pratchett. Harper Paperbacks (ISBN: 9780063385559) 2024 (first published in 1988). Three witches living in Lancre hide the king’s heir when the king’s assassinated by Duke Felmet, and work to set things right. Review

In Guns We Trust. William J. Kole. Broadleaf Books (ISBN: 9798889835639) 2025. Why white evangelicals are among the most resistant to even reasonable restrictions on firearms and its impact. Review

The Mother’s Smile, Esther Lightcap Meek, foreword by D.C. Schindler. Cascade Books (ISBN: 9798385236473) 2025. How philosophically formative is a mother’s smile and the delighted regard of others. Review

It’s A Battlefield, Graham Greene. Open Road Integrated Media (ISBN: 9781504053976) 2018, first published 1934. The private “battles” of those connected with Jim Drover, a bus driver convicted of murder for killing a policeman. Review

Man Up, Cynthia Miller-Idriss. Princeton University Press (ISBN: 9780691257549) 2025. The relationship of misogyny to various forms of violent extremism, the strategies men use to control women, and what can be done. Review

Questioning Technology with Jacques Ellul, David W. Gill and Lisa Richmond, eds. Pickwick Publications (ISBN: 9798385244430) 2025. Essays on the technological thought of Ellul, both foundational principles and applications. Review

Serving God Under Siege, Valentyn Syniy. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing (ISBN: 9780802885692) 2025. A memoir of fleeing Kherson when Russia invaded, the challenges and lessons of displacement, and returning home. Review

Best Book of the Month

Jacques Ellul, I believe, might be called the prescient prophet of technology. In 1954, he anticipated the world of 2026. So, when 31 scholars ponder his work and its meaning and application to our time, it is noteworthy. Questioning Technology, in my opinion is some of the most thoughtful writing on technology from a Christian perspective. I would recommend reading it hand in hand with Pope Leo XIV’s Humanitas Magnifica.

Quote of the Month

In Esther Lightcap Meek’s The Mother’s Smile included this passage describing the “delighted regard” of an academic colleague and mentor:

“But I want to tell you about Bob’s face! I don’t mean any particular expression, but rather the frank, unqualified regard and particular delight that it always registered as he looked at me. I saw him seeing me. Over the years I grew to see myself as Bob sees me; I chose this visage, holding to his seeing me as more objective than my own subjective view. As a person, and also professionally, I have come to be who I am in his unwavering regard” (p. 76).

What I’m Reading

What Grows in Weary Lands is Tish Harrison Warren’s latest work on spiritual formation. Specifically, she explores the wisdom of the Desert Fathers to address how we live in faith through seasons of weariness. So substantive! Also, Nicaea Today explores the relevance of a creed from 1700 years ago to the church today. Then, going deeper in one of the declarations of Nicaea, Robert Lethan’s The Eternal Son explores the eternal generation of the Son, his deity and relation to God the Father. But not all our resources for faith come from the earliest centuries. For example, Love in a Time of Climate Change, draws on the Wesleyan quadrilateral of scripture, tradition, reason, and experience to address the church’s response to climate change.

Finally, in the area of psychology, Daniel Smith in Hard Feelings explores how the “negative” emotions are not to be suppressed but heeded for what they are trying to tell us. Lastly, I’m finally taking the plunge into the fiction of fellow Ohioan Louis Bromfield, reading Early Autumn, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1927. I’ve long admired his pioneering efforts in sustainable agriculture at Malabar Farm, which I’ve visited and even camped at with a group of Boy Scouts.

The Month in Reviews is my monthly review summary going back to 2014! It’s a great way to browse what I’ve reviewed. The search box on this blog also works well if you are looking for a review of a particular book. So, thanks for stopping by and feel free to share this with others!

The Weekly Wrap: May 24-30

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The Weekly Wrap: May 24-30

Logging Off

As a reader, I am at war with a not-so-silent intruder. My phone. Spam calls. Texts trying to sell me or scam me. Social media feeds that either fascinate or anger me. And it often takes me away from reading.

I am not one who necessarily pines to read more. Rather, I wouldn’t mind reading what I try to read each day in less time. And the biggest time waster often is my phone.

The only answer I’ve found is physical separation. I put the phone somewhere else. Then I do focused phone time. Part of my challenge is being what some call “a book influencer.” The main way to do this is online–and most of my posting and interactions are on the phone. But one practice is to take a day away from this every week.

I find myself wondering if I’m contributing to the very problem I battle. I hope not. I try to create spaces pointing people to the goodness, truth, and beauty in books with the hope that this will feed people’s reading habits. Hopefully, I provide a redemptive alternative to so much of the ugliness and distortion of truth one finds online.

But I don’t want people to live here. Too much time on screens arguably affects our ability to think. Longform reading, such as we encounter in books literally cultivates our brains. And as a senior, I need all the brain cells I can get! So, as delighted as I am that you are reading this, may I also encourage you to “log off and read a book!”

Five Articles Worth Reading

Doonesbury was one of the comics we read back in the day of newspapers for its humorous take of the politics of the day during the Nixon, Ford, Carter and Reagan years. Although Garry Trudeau, its creator keeps a low profile, the strip is still going as a weekly. This year, a new biography of Trudeau is being published by Joshua Kendall, a journalist. Pamela Newton sat down for a conversation with the two of them captured in “Authorized? Unauthorized? Garry Trudeau Calls a New Biography ‘Unopposed’“

What books had you read by the time you were twenty-two, when many of us graduated from college? Anna Holmes advises students to “Read These Books by the Time You Graduate.” But why these books? She chose books for those trying to find their way in life, not for advice given, but for qualities one might emulate. I’ve read (and had read by 22) two on the list, and three hadn’t been written when I passed that threshold.

This past week, Pope Leo XIV published his first encyclical, Humanitas Magnifica. Ed Simon takes the occasion to explore the impact of encyclicals in “How Many Divisions Has the Pope?“–a remark first made by Joseph Stalin.

Although there has already been extensive commentary on the encyclical, I wonder how many have read it. “Encyclical Letter Humanitas Magnifica” is available at the Vatican website and extends the social teaching of the church reaching back to Leo XIII Rerum Novarum, as it discusses the brave new world of AI.

Many of us were readers from childhood, and like C.S. Lewis grew up in homes full of books, or at least homes that encouraged reading. Bethel McGrew talks about growing up in “The House of Ten Thousand Books.”

Quote of the Week

G. K. Chesterton, who was born on May 29, 1874 had a different take on a slogan that is still popular:


‘My country, right or wrong’ is a thing no patriot would ever think of saying except in a desperate case. It is like saying ‘My mother, drunk or sober.’

Miscellaneous Musings

I found what looks to be a most interesting trip on a recent bookstore outing: The Wounded Generation by David Nasaw. It talks about those who returned from World War II. My father fought in that war and was proud of his service, as are we. But he only talked about a few incidents that occurred during his deployment in Europe. This was before PTSD was recognized. I wonder how he was changed by his experiences, and look forward to reading this.

Bridge Over Troubled Waters was a powerful song that addressed all the forms of weariness we struggled with in the early 1970’s Vietnam era. What Grows in Weary Lands is like that, but of greater substance. Tish Harrison Warren writes about the weariness that often happens around mid-life and what the life of faith looks like in such times, and other wearying times.

This week, I reviewed Questioning Technology with Jacques Ellul, a collection of 31 essays on the thought of Ellul. As impressed with the Pope’s encyclical as I am, I would say this work is more far-reaching in scope. And Ellul was a prescient thinker I wish more were aware of.

Next Week’s Reviews

Monday: The Month in Reviews: May 2026

Tuesday: Robert H. Woods and Mark Allen Steiner, From the Outrageous to the Scandalous: Re-imagining Christian Thinking and Scholarship in an Age of Tribalism and Ideological Resentment

Wednesday: Robert Coover, The Universal Baseball Association, Inc., J. Henry Waugh, Prop.

Thursday: Coleman M. Ford and Shawn Wilhite, Nicaea for Today

Friday: Agatha Christi, Mrs. McGinty’s Dead

So, that’s The Weekly Wrap for May 24-30.

Find past editions of The Weekly Wrap under The Weekly Wrap heading on this page.

Review: Serving God Under Siege

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Cover image of "Serving God Under Siege" by Valentyn Syniy

Serving God Under Siege

Serving God Under Siege, Valentyn Syniy. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing (ISBN: 9780802885692) 2025.

Summary: A memoir of fleeing Kherson when Russia invaded, the challenges and lessons of displacement, and returning home.

Valentyn Syniy’s world turned upside down on February 24, 2022, as it did for many Ukrainians. He is the president of the Tavriski Christian Institute (TCI), located in Kherson, in southeastern Ukraine, not too distant from Russian held Crimea. They were about to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of training Christian workers to serve the church in Ukraine. They’d built an attractive campus with an extensive library. And then came the rumors of war. Working with a security consultant, they’d planned for a possible evacuation. And then a call came from a friend at their bank the day before, urging them to withdraw their funds and clean out their safe deposit box.

Syniy then goes on to narrate the next nine months, living as homeless, displaced persons in Ivano-Frankivsk. Churches there took them in. But first, they had to evacuate, as the sound of shelling grew louder. The drivers they contracted to evacuate them refused to go. This meant buying a used van, which repeatedly broke down enroute. There were good-byes with people they feared never seeing again. Then long queues on the roads, hoping they had enough fuel to reach their destination.

Those who welcomed them did so generously–yet soon there were strains–mostly reflecting the different cultures, including the church cultures of their respective regions. Yet they learned not only to accommodate differences but begin to see themselves within the national fabric of the Christian community in Ukraine.

Assistance from other Christians in Europe and the United States rapidly began to pour in. Quickly, they realized a need to pivot from theological education to humanitarian aid. Much of this consisted of turning the vans around and taking food to the Kherson region, helping those who stayed.

Siniy is honest about his disappointment with Russian theological partners who equivocated or were silent about the Russian invasion. He recounts a long conversation of being urged to “reconcile” without any expression of repentance or denunciation of Russian aggression and war crimes. He also discusses a sobering conference of theologians on “Theology after Bucha” and what it means to preach the gospel in the light of the horrible atrocities in that and many other towns.

But there are also lighter moments–Easter celebrations and his daughter’s wedding. He describes the cross-pollination among believers that would not have occurred apart from the war. And he recounts the continuation of their mission to train Christian leaders in their new location, using both in-person and online courses to continue to train Christian leaders.

In November 2022, the news came that Kherson had been re-captured by Ukrainian forces. (It has remained under Ukrainian control since then, although facing nearly daily shelling from nearby Russian forces.) Siniy describes returning to Kherson, seeing his father and mother who stayed, and witnessing the destruction of the TCI facilities. Russians used them to house military and then stripped the campus of anything of value. Subsequent shelling badly damaged a number of buildings.

This is a powerful and moving memoir. Siniy captures the anxiety of evacuation, the struggles of displacement, and Christians at their best and worst in a crisis. It also captures the resilient faith that presses on in the mission to train Christians for leadership in the church. Their website states: “TCI is the first and only evangelical Christian school in Ukraine with full state accreditation to award bachelor’s and master’s degrees in theology and ministry. Its accredited programs are recognized by Ukraine’s Ministry of Education and provide a legal and professional foundation for graduates to serve in both church and public contexts.” While hoping to re-build in Kherson, they have established a regional training center in Kyiv.

At this writing, Russia and Ukraine remain at war. Russian forces shelled Kherson in the last day (May 27). This book is a good reminder to me of our need to continue to pray for the peace of Ukraine, and for our fellow believers in that country.

_____________

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.

Review: Questioning Technology with Jacques Ellul

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Cover image of "Questioning Technology with Jacques Ellul" edited by David W. Gill and Lisa Richmond

Questioning Technology with Jacques Ellul

Questioning Technology with Jacques Ellul, David W. Gill and Lisa Richmond, eds. Pickwick Publications (ISBN: 9798385244430) 2025

Summary: Essays on the technological thought of Ellul, both foundational principles and applications.

In 1954, French sociologist-philosopher-theologian, Jacques Ellul published La Technique: L’enjeu du siècle. It didn’t get much notice until published in English ten years later as The Technological Society. It is one of three books on technology Ellul wrote, along with The Technological System and The Technological Bluff. One of the most significant ideas from his works is the idea of technique. He sees technique as the ultimate stage of technology which he describes as “the totality of methods rationally arrived at and having absolute efficiency (for a given stage of development) in every field of human activity.”

Does that sound familiar? As our generation comes to grips with what it means to live in a highly networked society with technology integrated into the fabric of our lives, all toward the end of increasing efficiency, Ellul sounds prescient. Likewise, as we grapple with the implications of the rapid advances in artificial intelligence and its implementation, Ellul’s descriptions are eerily prophetic.

In 2024, the International Jacques Ellul Society met for its biennial conference on the topic of Ellul’s thought on technology. Out of the conference presentations arose the 31 essays in this volume. I could write a review on each one, given their depth and breadth. I won’t do that but rather try to give you a sense of the richness of Christian thinking on technology, inspired by the writing of Jacques Ellul more than seventy years ago!

The book is divided into two parts: Foundations and Applications. The first part focus on the contours of Ellul’s thought, sometimes in conversation with other thinkers. Carl Mitcham opens the section charting and critiquing Ellul’s thought within the larger discussion of the philosophy of technology. Jennifer Karns Alexander takes Ellul’s ideas about efficiency and raises questions about the “efficiencies” of AI, noting the ways its inefficiencies are offloaded to other sectors of society. I was fascinated by the contrast Justine McIntyre makes between technique’s appeal to satiety and nature’s promise of sufficiency. Several essays weigh Ellul in light of other thinkers: Weber, Mumford, Fuller, Charbonneau, Illich, and Arnold Gehlen. Finally, Felicia Wu Song closes out the section with a Christian ethic of non-power in a digital world focused on technique and productivity.

The second part opens with what I thought one of the most important essays of the whole by David W. Gill, one of the conference organizers. In “The End of Technicized Work” he explores the implications of our technopoly on the displacement of workers and its economic consequences and what work and vocation might look like in this brave new world. Some of the essays explore the implications of technology on music, art, organizations, law, education, and the state. For example, I would highlight T. Bone Burnett’s essay on recording technology, tracing what he sees as a deterioration of sound quality in the technological advances and what he is doing to counter this. Several essays explore what it means to be human in a world of technique. Geraldine E. Forsberg’s essay on a theological perspective particularly stood out in this regard

The second part closes with two essays of particular applicative import. Firstly, challenging church use of technology, Luke Proctor, calls the church to incarnational, not virtual reality. Secondly, noting Ellul’s focus on the individual, Matthew Littlehale argues for the role of local communities to resist the incursion of technique.

In conclusion, this volume represents some of the best thinking extending the insights of Jacques Ellul. In particular, it challenges those of us in the Christian community to discernment rather than passive adoption of the latest technology. Where do we draw the line and not bow to the god of efficiency? And what does it mean to walk in the “non-power” of the cross? What will it mean for us to both minister to and advocate for the displaced? Finally, how will we live into the incarnational, embodied life of human community in an increasingly digital world?

_____________

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.

Review: Man Up

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Cover image of "Man Up" by Cynthia Miller-Idriss

Man Up

Man Up, Cynthia Miller-Idriss. Princeton University Press (ISBN: 9780691257549) 2025.

Summary: The relationship of misogyny to various forms of violent extremism, the strategies men use to control women, and what can be done.

What are two factors associated with most incidents of violent extremism? The first is that men perpetrate most incidents. The second, and even less discussed, is that most of the men are misogynist in outlook and behavior. In fact, 60 percent of the mass shooters in the U.S. have documented histories of domestic or intimate partner violence. Cynthia Miller-Idriss studies violent extremism as founding director and chief vision officer of American University’s Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab (PERIL). Yet she acknowledges discussions of violent extremism has been virtually silent about these two factors. And she admits she has been slow to come to this realization and the writing of this book.

Miller-Idriss sees misogyny not as a personal belief but a means of social policing, “a kind of control [that] defends and maintains patriarchy and the continued subordination of women and the dominance of men.” She includes in misogyny various forms of homophobic and transphobic behaviors.

After discussing misogyny and its link to various forms of violent extremism, the author offers five case studies that reflect strategies of control. She focuses a chapter on each of these:

  • Containment or the use of belittling remarks and dehumanizing work to keep women in their place.
  • Punishment, that is violent misogyny as articulated by incels, men’s rights, and male supremacist movements.
  • Exploitation, such as the #SaveTheChildren conspiracy, that both fuels violence and covers the real exploitation of women in domestic violence and human trafficking.
  • Erasure asserts traditional gendered supremacy through anti-LGBTQ+ efforts (“Don’t Say Gay”), cultivating fears about “grooming.”
  • Enabling, in which women join in supporting patriarchy and policing women, exemplified in “The White Baby Challenge.”

The final part of the book focuses on remedies. Apart from a good resource section at the end, I thought this the most disappointing part of the book. Part of the challenge is how mainstream misogynistic views are in the culture. The most substantive recommendation is modeling healthy masculinity with boys, neither preaching to nor shaming them (especially by women). Rather, she commends mentoring by teachers, coaches, and other adults. This part could have used more stories showing what has worked.

Additionally, while describing the manifestations and rise of misogynistic behaviors, the book doesn’t offer an account of the social factors contributing to misogyny. Also, the writer repeatedly discusses so many forms of misogyny and violence that I felt the account sometimes lost focus while overwhelming the reader.

However, the work is important for several reasons. Firstly, in breaking the silence about the connection between misogyny and violent extremism, the analysis offers tools for intervention. Secondly, by outlining strategies used by men to control women, she names these, bringing them out of the shadows. Finally, though brief, the resources offered gesture toward countering mainstream misogyny while making clear the challenge our society faces.

Review: It’s A Battlefield

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Cover image of "It's a Battlefield" by Graham Greene

It’s A Battlefield

It’s A Battlefield, Graham Greene. Open Road Integrated Media (ISBN: 9781504053976) 2018, first published 1934.

Summary: The private “battles” of those connected with Jim Drover, a bus driver convicted of murder for killing a policeman.

Jim Drover was convicted of the knife murder of a policeman about to bludgeon his wife, Milly, during a demonstration. He was sentenced to die by hanging. The action in this story involves the people who know Drover and their efforts to secure a reprieve. As they do so, we see figures involved in private battles. The title refers to a battle in the Crimean War where a fog isolated soldiers from the larger battle, so they ended up fighting individually, without a sense of the whole but just trying to survive.

The Home Secretary has asked the nameless Assistant Commissioner to give him a report of what effect an execution will have on Communist demonstrations. Jim’s brother Conrad, the “brains” to Jim’s “braun” tries to find a way to secure his release. He solicits the efforts of the Communist party with only desultory results. Conrad urges Milly to persuade the policeman’s widow to sign a release, which she does under pressure. However, no one holds out much hope for the petition. Milly’s sister Kay goes to bed with Mr. Surrogate, a widower who is an influential Communist economist to solicit his support, but also to satisfy her own urges. Both Surrogate and the Assistant Commissioner try to persuade Caroline Bury, a society influencer to use her influence. All of this is to no avail.

The reports the Assistant Commissioner receives suggest that the response to Drover’s impending execution will be indifferent. There is the question of doing justice, since Drover was defending his wife. But he hides behind his duty to enforce the law, and that the determinations of justice lay with others.

Meanwhile, as Conrad Drover and Milly recognize the apparent futility of their efforts, they end up in bed, a release but unsatisfying. This was not the “look after Milly” he promised his brother…or was it? Struggling with guilt and ineffectuality, he buys a gun and begins stalking the Assistant Commissioner.

Greene portrays a group of people with no great purpose or vision, who are just trying to get through life, and survive the battle that is life. Conrad, in his desperate plan at least strives for something more–if nothing else to do “something” for his brother. Even the usually conscientious Assistant Commissioner sits on the report. In the end, Jim Drover, who defended his wife, looks the most heroic. But over all seems to hang the bleak curtain of a faithless and indifferent modernism.

Review: The Mother’s Smile

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Cover image of "The Mother's Smile" by Esther Lightcap Meek

The Mother’s Smile

The Mother’s Smile, Esther Lightcap Meek, foreword by D.C. Schindler. Cascade Books (ISBN: 9798385236473) 2025.

Summary: How philosophically formative is a mother’s smile and the delighted regard of others.

None of us remembers the first moments of our lives. But Esther Lightcap Meek proposes that they are the foundationally formative events of our lives. This is so not only physically and emotionally, but also philosophically. Specifically, she has in mind the loving embrace of a weary mother, gazing on her child with a loving smile. And throughout our lives, Meek contends, we are formed by the delighted regard of others. Moreover, our delighted regard is central to the knowing of others, including the non-human. And over all is the loving, delighted regard of God upon our lives. In succeeding chapters, Meek develops all the ways the mother’s delighted regard is philosophically formative.

First of all the mother’s smile shapes our awareness of our own existence as the infant “I” faces the “You” lovingly regarding me. I understand myself to be in relationship to another, pre-figuring every I-You relationship in life. I know I exist because I see my mother seeing me. Meek contrasts this with the Cartesian reductivist vision of self detached from a fragmented external reality. For Meek, this loving regard ushers us into a world of wonder in which we are intimately connected with all.

This makes a difference in how we know, the idea of epistemology. Here, Meek elaborates her ideas of covenant epistemology through the mother’s smile. It forms us in the reality that all knowing is personal, that we don’t know objects but others. We are involved and yet non-possessive. We commune and delight. And we know wholes rather than fragmented parts.

This in turn shapes our metaphysics. In place of a Cartesian vision that doubts the reality of anything but ourselves, we embrace childhood’s vision of real others. And we encounter other things as “personlike others.” Instead of mastery of “objects,” we engage in loving regard of even inanimate “others” as well as other non-human living things. I was excited to see her connect with Robin Wall Kimmerer’s work of honoring and valuing all that we encounter in the world.

Mothers are not the only ones from whom we experience this delighted regard. This offers hope for those lacking experiences of a mother’s regard. Meek writes of the wonder when another regards us with delight, using the examples of her sister and a faculty colleague. She writes movingly of how her colleague Bob’s delighted regard formed her:

“But I want to tell you about Bob’s face! I don’t mean any particular expression, but rather the frank, unqualified regard and particular delight that it always registered as he looked at me. I saw him seeing me. Over the years I grew to see myself as Bob sees me; I chose this visage, holding to his seeing me as more objective than my own subjective view. As a person, and also professionally, I have come to be who I am in his unwavering regard” (p. 76).

She then encourages us in the seeing of others, that “[w]e make friends by being friends.”

Ultimately, for Meek, this points toward “a face that will not go away.” Acknowledging the discomfort this evokes, she encourages us with the idea that God’s gaze upon us is one of infinite delight. One of the most amazing things about Jesus as God with us is how he saw people–the Samaritan woman, Zacchaeus, and so many more.

As she concludes, she sums up the work of philosophical service with the word “delight.” We do this as parents. We receive this as children. Then we extend delighted regard wherever our calling leads us, and into all parts of our quotidian existence. Thus, we re-embrace the wonder of a child toward our world, a wonder it was a mistake to abandon.

I read and reviewed Meek’s Loving to Know last fall. It is a long book elaborating her ideas of covenant epistemology, and one of the best I’ve read in recent years. What a “delight,” if I may use that word, to see her bring all these insights together in the simplicity and beauty of the mother’s smile. This is a book to savor as it reminds us of the primal love of our mothers, of the friends who “noticed” us with delight, and of the “face that will not go away.”

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My review of Loving to Know: https://bobonbooks.com/2025/12/09/review-loving-to-know/

The Weekly Wrap: May 17-23

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The Weekly Wrap: May 17-23

James Daunt’s Bad Week

James Daunt, the CEO of Barnes & Noble sat down with Jenna Bush recently to discuss the turnaround of Barnes & Noble and recent book trends, including AI-generated books. And here’s the statement that got him into trouble:

“Yes, I have actually no problem selling any book, as long as it doesn’t masquerade or pretend to be something that it isn’t, and that it has an essential quality to it, and that the customer, the reader, wants it. So as long as an AI-written book says it’s an AI-written book and doesn’t pretend to be something else and isn’t ripping off somebody else, as long as that’s clearly stated and the customer wants to buy it, then we will stock them.” (Source: “Barnes & Noble CEO Would Support Stores Selling AI-Written Books. Here’s Why“)

His remarks led to a social media firestorm and calls to boycott Barnes & Noble.

Why This is a Problem

What Mr. Daunt does not address are several troubling aspects of AI-generated works. One is that large language models train on human-authored works and to this point, authors are neither credited nor compensated. AI-generated books are a form of plagiarism and theft of intellectual property. It also allows for the “writing” of a book in hours or days instead of the months to years of research and writing by human authors. It is not a level playing field. Thirdly, even Barnes & Noble has limited shelf space and AI-generate books will take away available space for human authors. In addition, this endorses the massive energy and water usage by the data centers supporting AI.

Mr. Daunt Clarifies His Original Statement

In response to the criticism, James Daunt sent a statement to Publishers Weekly, which they summarized and quoted as follows:

“In explaining his reluctance to issue a blanket ban on AI-generated books, Daunt acknowledged his stance is ‘perhaps over nuanced, but there are important principles that have to be balanced and I believe we do so as sensibly and thoughtfully as is possible. Book banning is a clear and present danger, so we are very careful with demands to ban any books, as also in our vigilance not to sell AI generated books that masquerade to be by real authors.’ ” (Source: “James Daunt Looks to Clarify B&N’s Position on AI-Generated Books“)

The Problem With This Response

It appears that behind his remarks, he doesn’t want to engage in what could be perceived as book-banning, a stance to which Barnes & Noble has been adamantly committed. But the argument is specious. First of all, book-banning efforts are book-specific and content-oriented. That is different from choosing not to stock books not written by humans. In addition, this argument fails to address the above-mentioned problems with AI-generated text, notably, the theft of human intellectual property. Daunt is silent about this. But when a human author plagiarizes a book, booksellers pull it when this comes to light.

Why I Care

The local Barnes & Noble is the nearest store to us. I’m a Premium member (for which I pay). We buy a lot of books there and enjoy sharing our finds at the cafe. If they began stocking AI books, I would end this relationship. I interact with so many human authors and I know how hard they work to bring books to print. Thus, I cannot support a decision that preys on their intellectual property and displaces their books. I hope Mr. Daunt will reconsider and instead of a “nuanced” position, will say a flat “no” to AI-generated books. His current response is a marketing and public relations response. Instead, he could take a clear stance and use his stature to give decisive leadership to both his own company and the publishing industry. I hope he will.

Five Articles Worth Reading

The New York Times has taken a very different slant on summer reading. Rather than suggest titles, they offer a “bucket list” of categories. And if you complete five or more this summer, you can enter a drawing for a prize. Read all about it and get the link to enter by visiting “The New York Times’s Summer Reading Bucket List.”

James Nazir was one of the awardees of the Commonwealth Prize until readers, including some who used AI-detection software (which can be wrong), raised red flags that his story might be AI-generated. Vauhini Vara describes the challenges Granta faced in “This Literary AI Scandal Changes Everything.” The author has not responded to the allegations although he and other authors disavowed AI use. The article alerts me to the challenges that every author and publisher needs to navigate in this new AI landscape.

In recent years, colleges have oriented more toward STEM fields. But what happens when AI can perform equal to humans or better in many aspects, particularly in things like programming? Jacob Potash argues in “Rethinking Education in the AI Age” that the humanities could offer intellectual frameworks and “memory scaffolds” that provide the basis for a life well lived. He appeals to the way the Greeks used The Iliad.

From artificial intelligence to alien life. In “Is Alien Life Hiding in Plain Sight, Right Here in Our Solar System?,” Dr. Sarah Alam Malik considers the possibilities.

Finally, I was among those watching the final episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. From the interview with Paul McCartney, 62 years after he performed in the Ed Sullivan Theatre with the Beatles to the ending, it was a great, if bittersweet finish. One thing I liked about Colbert is that he interviewed authors! Publishers Weekly notes his impact on book sales in “Publishers Bid Farewell to Stephen Colbert.”

Quote of the Week

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was born on May 22, 1859. He observed:

“Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself, but talent instantly recognizes genius.”

I’ve always thought that the mark of good leaders is that they surround themselves with people who excel them rather than are inferior to them.

Miscellaneous Musings

This was the week when I received nine books in two days. Lots of interesting new publications that I’ll be featuring on my social media in the next few weeks. One was Tish Harrison Warren’s new book on resilience, that I’ve already started reading.

A book I’ll be reviewing on Monday proposes that the most important philosophical experience common to all of us is the loving gaze of a mother toward her newborn child.

Don’t look to see me as much on X (Twitter). They are not only limiting posts per day for “unverified” (i.e. non-paying) accounts to 50 but also flagging you if you post a lot in a short period. Since I sometimes post in batches, I discovered X was blocking me. So I’ll limit what I post rather than support Elon’s empire.

Next Week’s Reviews

Monday: Esther Lightcap Meek, The Mother’s Smile

Tuesday: Graham Greene, It’s A Battlefield

Wednesday: Cynthia Miller-Idriss, Man Up

Thursday: David W. Gill, ed., Questioning Technology

Friday: Valentyn Syniy, Serving God Under Siege

So, that’s The Weekly Wrap for May 17-23.

Find past editions of The Weekly Wrap under The Weekly Wrap heading on this page.

Review: In Guns We Trust

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Cover image of "In Guns We Trust" by William J. Kole

In Guns We Trust

In Guns We Trust. William J. Kole. Broadleaf Books (ISBN: 9798889835639) 2025.

Summary: Why white evangelicals are among the most resistant to even reasonable restrictions on firearms and its impact.

William J, Kole was an unabashed evangelical, even a member of his New England church’s worship team. It was during a practice that the bass player showed him his gun. His world shifted. Kole also worked as AP News bureau chief in New England. This was on the heels of the horrific Sandy Hook massacre. He soon learned that a number of members carried. That is when he left the church and evangelicalism.

But, as a journalist, he remained curious about why white evangelicals so vociferously defended gun ownership, including concealed carry and resisted even the most reasonable gun safety laws such as universal background checks and safe storage laws, measures a majority of Americans, including many gun owners, supported. And all this despite the fact that there are more guns than people in the U.S. the highest number of gun deaths per 100,000, other than El Salvador, and that bringing a gun into a home immediately makes it a more dangerous place statistically. Most of all, he wanted to know how do they justify guns as followers of Jesus?

What is striking in this book is that Kole devotes significant space in the book listening to evangelical gun owners, church leaders and even gun manufacturers. Similar to Tim Alberta in The Power and the Glory, he spends a lot of time on site with them in churches, factories, NRA conventions and gun shows. He looks at the culture of fear within evangelicalism and how that has fed into Second Amendment readings, particularly either government tyranny or other forms of persecution. After shootings at houses of worship, this has heightened, with churches having security details and many members carrying.

One of those he listens to is Pastor Paul Guin. He pastors a rural Alabama congregation where most, including him, carry. In addition, they have a gun range behind the church, organized as the Rocky Mount Hunt and Gun Club. Earlier, Kole set out some of his own biblical convictions as to why guns are not an option (other than for hunting or sport) for Christians. Here, he allows the Pastor, who has thought deeply about this to make the biblical case for guns.

He also meets with the family who runs FosTecH, a gun manufacturer in Seymour, Indiana, also the home town of John Mellencamp. They portray a commitment to Christ, their employees and the craft of gun making. They are serious, measured, thoughtful. The executives accept the status quo of the prevalence of guns. And they make lethal ones, including the AR-15. And at least one executive asks about alternative research.

Kole also examines that global scene and the direct relationship between gun control and gun prevalence and violence. He details the dramatic drops in deaths resulting from gun measures in other countries, including Australia and New Zealand. He also describes the challenges faced by the flow of guns, often through illegal channels, from the U.S.

Returning stateside, in his last two chapters he describes efforts by Christians to suggest that a different way is possible. We meet Scotty Utz, with RAWTools, that takes guns turned in and turns them into garden implements–a kind of practical “swords into plowshares” effort. We learn of churches and networks who have pursued a different course–places where Kole feels safe because no one carries. And we listen to how they frame this up as a faithful response to Christ–a decision to live without fear because of their faith.

I’m not sure Kole’s book will change minds. But he models the humility that refuses to caricature evangelicals who carry. He listens to them. While we know what Kole thinks, he takes the risk of allowing the reader to decide. And he persists in believing and hoping for a different future and points to things like-minded readers can do.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review through LibraryThing’s Early Reviewers Program.